Seeking the beauty in the midst of chaos

Behind the Lens – This is 40

That would be the moment when I would make my grand entrance into this world.

Today…

I am 40.

This age that felt so ancient in the days of my youth. This age that feels so young now that I am standing here.

Hurricane Irma has wreaked havoc on my hometown. I shared my thoughts from the other side of the storm in yesterday’s post. For as long as I can remember my mother has sang me “Happy Birthday” today. When I became a young woman and left the folds of her nest, she would call and begin singing as soon as I said “Hello?”. I wondered about today…would this day…this milestone in my life…be the one exception?

It was not.

She found a signal on her drive into the city and sang to me on this special day of mine.

Me.

I am a fan of being behind my lens.

Time has tried to steal my comfort with the aging process.

So today, I am sharing a series of photos taken of me behind the lens. Photos taken by my mother and my husband. Photos that I’m often not aware of until a later time. Photos of me feeling confident and strong as I learn to share what my eyes see through the lens of my camera. Photos taken by people who love me and believe in me even when I do not believe in myself. Photos of me as I press outside of my comfort zone…as I grow…as I learn who I am outside of wife…mother…daughter…sister…friend. Photos taken over this past year or so as I marched toward this day…this milestone…this moment of 40.

One of my happy places. River Palm Cottages | Jensen Beach, Florida.

To see things from the other side of the lens, check out this older post of mine.

On an excursion off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Niagara Dam | Roanoke, Virginia.

Miss Sunshine was very ill this day. Our visit brief. I haven’t shared the photos from the other of side of the lens as of yet. If you’d like to see a few of my photos from Paris you can check out this post.

Another beautiful place to see. Palace of Versailles | Versailles, France.

To see the palace from the other side of the lens, check out this post.

One of my favorite places at the Palace of Versailles was the Hamlet of Marie Antionette. | Versailles, France.

So far, I’ve only shared photos of the Hamlet on Instagram, but if you’d like to see more of the Palace from the other side of the lens, check out this post.

Taking photos of the Eiffel Tower. | Paris, France

This was a walk-by opportunity only, for a shot from the other side of the lens, check out this post.

To see the castle from the other side of the lens, check out this post.

Atop the roof of Princes Street Suites. | Edinburgh, Scotland

I’ve not shared about the actual hotel, but I’ve shared numerous photos from the other side of the lens about my travels to Scotland. To see some of Edinburgh from the other side of the lens, check out this post and this post

To see more from Scotland, use the search tool on the home page. Hint: there’s quite a few from Glasgow as well.

My last outing. End of summer. | Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

To see a few shots from the other side of the lens, check out this post. If you’re looking for the sunset, you can find of those in this post or on Instagram.

I’m glad to hear the 40s are good. I love the way a friend put it “I think 40 is the age of being happy in your own skin”.
I love that picture that he took. For some reason, it just makes me feel deeply loved. 🙂

[…] was one of my favorite parts of the hotel. You might recall a photo of me sitting up here in my This is 40 post. I actually have so many shots of the spectaclar views from this rooftop terrace that you should […]